Education & Student Activism News

On January 30, students and workers across the Bay Area walked out in solidarity with the national day of action. Leon Kunstenaar reports, "The messages went out 'Fuera ICE, ICE Out. Shut Everything Down!', 'No Work!' Cities throughout the nation responded and San Francisco was no exception. Seventy five percent of students in the city's high schools went out. A student carried a sign that read, 'We are skipping our lessons to teach YOU one.'"

A revolutionary student writes, "On January 20th students across Nevada County walked out to protest the fascist federal government, and its supporters in the school board. Building on the walkouts from last year, students self organized walkouts from at least six schools in Nevada County, convening in downtown Grass Valley. Despite attempts by liberal elements to co-opt the movement, the students stood fast in their revolutionary intent."

On January 30, students and workers across the Bay Area walked out and met at Dolores Park in San Francisco and Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland. Arab Resource and Organizing Center wrote, "We support the call from Minnesota-based Somali and other student organizations... join the national day of action to say ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE! Now is the decisive moment. The Minnesota General Strike has opened a historic opening."

On December 17, activists with the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) rallied at Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, urging him to pardon jailed animal rescuer Zoe Rosenberg and ensure her immediate release. Ms. Rosenberg, a UC Berkeley student and animal cruelty investigator with DxE, was convicted of felony conspiracy and sentenced to 90 days in jail for rescuing four sick chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse.

On September 10, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot by a sniper while speaking in Utah. The event was the first stop of TPUSA's "American Comeback Tour." On November 10, Turning Point concluded their tour at UC Berkeley. The campus was locked down beforehand by a phalanx of riot police. Despite the show of force, hundreds of demonstrators turned out to denounce TPUSA. Several arrests were made.

On October 24, youth from 50 middle schools, high schools, and colleges in California walked out of class in a coordinated statewide action demanding that oil and gas corporations be held financially accountable for the damage caused by their pollution. Students called on lawmakers to pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act, SB 684/AB 1243. While not passed this legislative session, students and climate advocates are working to pass it next year.

In February 1975, construction work on Lee Road in Watsonville desecrated an Ohlone burial site, and bones and artifacts were removed by archeologists. When initial efforts failed to protect the sacred site, the cemetery was occupied by a group of armed local Native families, activists, and members of the American Indian Movement. John Malkin speaks with Patrick Yana-Hea Orozco, who played a critical role in the direct action at Wounded Lee.

Pesticides continue to be pervasive in the air throughout California’s agricultural regions, according to the 2023 Air Monitoring Network Report released in September by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Weekly samples collected at DPR’s four air monitors detected 19 different pesticides at trace or quantifiable levels and 8 pesticides at quantifiable levels, with 80% of samples including at least one pesticide detection.